Pat, It's possible Mandy's vision will return to normal when you figure out what's causing the vision loss. Don't give up hope for that. I have not seen any vision loss directly related to FeLV here in the past year and a half, nor have I read anything about that. I have seen FeLV linked to Uveitis. It's very important that it be diagnosed so that it can be treated, if this is the case. Here is a good link to it:
http://www.animaleyecare.net/diseases/uveitis.htm We think Uveitis is what caused Smookie to lose her eye before we adopted her. Either that or conjuncitivis: http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=1&cat=1344&articleid=250 I'm really concerned that the vet just chalked up the vision issue to FeLV. FeLV is a virus that surpresses the immune system. It allows other diseases and conditions to develop. Those must be treated. Cat's don't die from FeLV. They die from the diseases that develop from a weakened immune system caused by FeLV. That's why I said bloodwork might be good. Whatever you do, pursue this eye issue and get it cleared up or at least get it diagnosed. It is not directly caused by the FeLV. So many of us here have trusted our vet's opinion/diagnosis only to our cat's detriment. Yes, we think vet's are great, but doing your own research will go a long way in making sure your furbaby stays healthy. I have personally experienced my own vet being wrong at least three times in the past few years. At least one of those times would have cost my kitty his life had I not persisted and kept asking questions. There are others here who can tell you those same stories. It's great that you have such a good relationship with your vet. It's hard to find a good vet, or at least one that will listen to the opinions of their customers. We have found that so many vets are not up-to-date on FeLV, and many still recommend pts at first diagnosis. It's good your vet did not do that. Let me know what your vet says when you go see him again. I am curious to see what he says about the vision issue. :) Wendy "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world - indeed it is the only thing that ever has!" ~~~ Margaret Meade ~~~ ----- Original Message ---- From: Pat Kachur <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Sunday, July 29, 2007 1:14:59 PM Subject: Re: Valtrex toxic for cats or effective FeLV treatment We "think" Mandy has only had the virus for about 5 months--but only because the vision problem began at that time so it is really just a guess. The vet said that the virus may attack most any part of the cat and he has seen other cases where it did attack the vision. Thanks for the advice re dosage of lysine. I am starting her on it today. Also purchased some PetPromise food at Whole Foods this morning. I see there is advice in one of these threads from a veterinarian regarding cats getting enough protein and enough water in their diet--the list mentioned two others Whole Foods sells so I am going to get some of those, too. So far, she'll wolf down just about anything. I did not see my "regular" vet who is also my friend as he is on vacation until Thursday. When he returns, I am going to discuss Mandy with him--as I think he is the world's best!! (Possibly a little biased.) Pat ----- Original Message ----- From: "wendy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <felvtalk@felineleukemia.org> Sent: Sunday, July 29, 2007 2:06 PM Subject: Re: Valtrex toxic for cats or effective FeLV treatment Hey Pat, When we started Smookie on the lysine (no additives; can cause problems), we gave her 500 mg. capsules that we opened and mixed in with her wet food twice a day. So she was getting 1000 mg per day. Lysine is an amino acid, and it interferes with the virus's ability to replicate. Since your furbaby is only 5 lbs., you might consider sticking with 250 mg. 2x per day. Also, even though your kitty is almost 5 years old, she still can throw the virus, depending on when she was exposed. Some even throw the virus a long time after exposure, but that's more rare. Since your kitty has the vision/hearing issues, have you done blood work on her? Hypertension can cause overeating and vision problems. You might have to ask specifically for a high blood pressure test. Does the vet know why she has loss of vision? :) Wendy "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world - indeed it is the only thing that ever has!" ~~~ Margaret Meade ~~~ ----- Original Message ---- From: Pat Kachur <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Sunday, July 29, 2007 12:44:15 PM Subject: Re: Valtrex toxic for cats or effective FeLV treatment Wendy - I adopted just 3 days ago an almost five-year old cat who is FeLv positive. (Didn't know it until I took her for testing the next day.) She has no outward symptoms except partial loss of vision (and possibly some hearing loss). Other than that, she is lively, playful and eats like a small horse. Could you tell me how much lysine I should give her? I have bought some at the Whole Foods store but, of course, it only gives human dosage. She is very small--less than 5 lbs. Thank you. Pat ----- Original Message ----- From: "wendy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <felvtalk@felineleukemia.org> Sent: Sunday, July 29, 2007 11:16 AM Subject: Re: Valtrex toxic for cats or effective FeLV treatment Hi Quentin, Welcome to the group. Bad idea on the Valtrex. Don't give your kitty any medication that your vet has not recommended. I have never heard of Valtrex being used on cats. Asparin and Ibuprofen are also no-no's, FYI. I have a cat that was diagnosed with feline herpes and had a bad corneal ulcer that we could not get rid of with the meds the vet gave us, including antivirals. She only had one eye to begin with and we almost lost the other one! We finally started giving her 500 mg 2x per day of lysine with no additives (especially propynol glycol, which can cause blood issues) into her wet food and the ulcer went away! It was wonderful! So I definitely recommend lysine for any kitties with viruses. Your kitty has about a 40% chance to fight off this virus and seroconvert. Give her about 3 months before you retest her again with an IFA test. Which test did the vet do on her? Elisa or IFA? Elisa can give a false positive and is what most vets use in-house. You might ask your vet about this. Also, feeding her a high quality diet with supplements like lysine, and keeping her environment stress-free and the two most important factors in helping kitty to seroconvert and keeping the virus at bay if she doesn't. Even if your kitty does not seroconvert, there are some kitties who live long lives, especially if these two factors are taken care of. There is a kitty at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary that is FeLV+ and 22 yrs. old! :) Wendy Dallas, TX "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world - indeed it is the only thing that ever has!" ~~~ Margaret Meade ~~~ ----- Original Message ---- From: Quentin Sonnier <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "felvtalk@felineleukemia.org" <felvtalk@felineleukemia.org> Sent: Sunday, July 29, 2007 1:42:17 AM Subject: Valtrex toxic for cats or effective FeLV treatment I have a sweet little black with white tip girl and I took her to the vet to get treated and wormed. We had her tested and she had a very faint positive for FeLV. I've been reading up on treatments and anti virals and I was wondering if it would be a good/ bad idea to give her low dose of valtrex? Any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated. The kitten is about 4 months old and VERY energetic. Quentin Sonnier ____________________________________________________________________________________Ready for the edge of your seat? Check out tonight's top picks on Yahoo! TV. http://tv.yahoo.com/ ____________________________________________________________________________________ Get the Yahoo! toolbar and be alerted to new email wherever you're surfing. http://new.toolbar.yahoo.com/toolbar/features/mail/index.php ____________________________________________________________________________________ Sick sense of humor? Visit Yahoo! TV's Comedy with an Edge to see what's on, when. http://tv.yahoo.com/collections/222 ____________________________________________________________________________________ Choose the right car based on your needs. Check out Yahoo! Autos new Car Finder tool. http://autos.yahoo.com/carfinder/
